


The Sword of Damocles

by silverbird6



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Argo II (Percy Jackson), Not Canon Compliant - The Trials of Apollo, Post-The Heroes of Olympus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:29:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23763130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverbird6/pseuds/silverbird6
Summary: “You can’t walk away from this, Percy.  We’re going to have this conversation one way or another. That’s the funny thing about fate. It’s cunning. It can bring you beautiful moments and it can bring you moments like this. Your friends have faced giants and titans, but they’re about to go up against the one thing they can’t handle. You”.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo & Will Solace
Comments: 10
Kudos: 83





	1. I: Percy

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you all are staying safe and healthy in these unusual times. One good thing to come of stay-at-home orders is that even though my work and school has followed me home via the internet, I have a little bit more time to do fun things like re-read the Heroes of Olympus series and write self-indulgent stories like this one.
> 
> Current events aside, this particular story is the brainchild of reading the Son of Neptune right before watching Fate of the Furious. I'm not usually a Fast and Furious person, but something about Percy's role in the Heroes of Olympus and Dom's role in that movie sparked my creative juices once more. Thus, this story was born.
> 
> You certainly don't have to have watched Fate of the Furious or any other movie to read this story. Believe it or not this is not a crossover (no characters from that movie even appear in this story). If you have watched Fate of the Furious, you might recognize the bare-bones of this plot, though I certainly deviate quite a bit. If you haven't watched the movie, this story may look a little bleak at times. Hang in there, I'll promise, there's more going on than meets the eye!
> 
> This story contains spoilers for the whole Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series (it's been so long since Blood of Olympus honestly I'm not sure I need to give that disclaimer anymore) and some nods to Kane Chronicles and Magnus Chase, but nothing crazy. This story exists in a universe where Trials of Apollo does not exist. Why? I've just had such a hard time getting into that series. I gave it a fair chance and read the first book and part of the second, but it just didn't grip me like the rest of Rick's works. If he writes some sort of Infinity War-style crossover after Trials of Apollo I'll go back and read it, but for now there are other, better uses for my time. So for this story: Apollo was never downgraded to a demigod, the triumvirate and whatever is going on with prophecies isn't a thing, and a certain character who is no longer with us is still alive and kicking in this story.
> 
> I don't own any of the characters, places, or plot-points from any of Rick Riordan's series. I also give due credit to Fate of the Furious for inspiring this story. I've got this story all planned out and partially written. It's looking like it may be around 12 chapters, but that stands to change if I need more or less space.
> 
> Now that I've gotten all that out of the way, enjoy the story!

* * *

The sun shone brightly over the golden beach, tourists and locals littering the sand as they enjoyed the magnificent waves. It was the first day after college let out for the semester, and the ocean was full of laughing students blowing off steam from finals.

Percy sat with his legs dangling from the rocky cliffs overlooking the beach, lightly outfitted in swim trunks and a tank top. Annabeth sat next to him, head resting on his shoulder as they watched the mortals frolic in the ocean. Every once in a while, they chuckled as Leo cracked an especially funny joke or Hazel blushed at Piper's teasing. The Argo seven rarely were all together, but they'd planned this day for months. New Rome College was out for the summer, Piper's boarding school was done with finals, and Leo had managed to drag himself and Calypso away from the Cabin Nine forges for a few days. Tristan McLean had generously offered his Malibu home to them for their getaway while he was filming his latest movie in Vancouver. It was dangerous having this many half bloods together outside of one of the camps, but with the Giant War over and the Doors of Death closed for almost two years, they decided to risk it.

Percy tilted his head back, breathing in the crisp Pacific winds, content with the world. It had been two years since he'd arrived at Camp Jupiter, seven since he'd stumbled into Camp Half-Blood for the first time with only a Minataur horn to his name. So much had changed. He'd been through more than he ever could have imagined, been a pawn and a leader and maybe even a hero. But he'd do it all again, for the friends and memories made along the way.

The sea called to him, beckoning him to its depths. He knew a school of dolphins hovered a mile off the coast, a few hippocampi further out, and thousands of fish of all shapes and sizes in between. He knew their precise location on the beach in longitude and latitude and could outfit any sailboats from the nearby marina within seconds. There was nothing like the domain of his father, no feeling that compared to the peace and power the water brought. Adding Annabeth's solid presence at his side and the symphony of his closest friends in the background, he couldn't have been happier.

"When's the last time we met like this? Just the Argo crew?" Piper asked, tucking her legs beneath her as she sat next to Annabeth.

"That's easy!" Leo poked his head in between Piper and Annabeth, machine grease still smudged on his face even after days away from the forges. "It was my homecoming bash! Fireworks, music, s'mores at the campfire..."

"A line of campers just waiting to smack you in the face for letting us think you were dead" Jason interjected, mussing Leo's hair and grinning down at them.

"Ah yes. Good times" Leo chuckled, attempting to ruin Jason's hair in retaliation. "It isn't Camp Half-Blood if someone isn't getting hit in the face".

"I like this beach" Calypso tucked a piece of unruly hair behind her ear. "It's much nicer than the city we traveled through to get here".

"Yeah, downtown LA would probably be a bit of an adjustment after living on a pristine island" Piper didn't sound too upset that Calypso was insulting her home city. Percy had to agree with Calypso on this one. The urban sprawl of Los Angeles was too much for him. He'd take New York City any day, though he was admittedly a bit biased.

Though he was undoubtedly a New Yorker, there was something about the untamed Pacific that called to him. It was colder and more wild than the Atlantic which bordered his home. He didn't know if it was just his imagination or if decades of Roman influence in the West, but the Pacific felt like Neptune while the Atlantic felt like Poseidon. His father's personality was as changeable as the ocean, and while Percy was certainly more stable than his father, a part of him would always long for the freedom and danger that the Pacific offered him.

Annabeth elbowed him lightly, bringing him back to the people gathered around him. She helped him up, gathering their things in a brightly colored beach bag. Percy grinned and followed the group down a winding staircase leading to the beach proper. The air grew warmer as they neared the beach, causing the boys to strip off their shirts and Hazel to vigorously fan herself. She was surprisingly well-adjusted to modern times for living in an ancient Roman camp and being from the 1940s. However, things like bathing suits, public displays of affection, and rap music still caused her to flush furiously.

Though he was the last one down the steps, Percy was the first one in the water, grabbing Annabeth around the waist and leaping into the surf before she knew what had happened. The rest of the group grinned and raced to follow them, beach bags and spare clothing discarded along the sand.

"Percy!" Annabeth laughed in his ear, unconvincingly prodding him to let her down. He took that as encouragement, dunking them under the waves a few more times before she wrenched herself free.

"What's the rush, Jackson?" Piper grinned swimming out to meet them with Jason on her heels. "We have days to spend in the ocean".

"If it were up to him, he'd probably spend all three of our days together swimming or sitting in the surf" Annabeth laughed, pulling closer to Percy once again. He grinned, tugging lightly on Annabeth's tangled hair and splashing water at Piper. He hadn't seen the daughter of Aphrodite much during his senior year in New York, but during his freshman year of college Piper came to visit New Rome pretty often. Percy liked to think it was because they were such great friends, but he figured most of it had to do with a certain blonde son of Jupiter who spent half his time in the camp. Whatever her motivations were, Piper had become like another sister to Percy, someone to tease and recruit for prank wars against the Stolls.

_Another_ sister. Percy grinned involuntarily. In the last 7 years, he'd gone from being an only child with a deadbeat step-father to an older brother with a beautiful one-year-old sister Estelle and a step-father who made his mom shine like Apollo's sun bus. Not to mention his influx of friends from both the Greek and Roman sides of the family and his amazing girlfriend. Yeah. Life was good.

"You shouldn't have brought a Son of Poseidon to Malibu if you didn't want to spend time in the ocean" Percy retorted, sending an even bigger wave at Piper in retaliation.

"You're in dangerous territory, Percy. I'm the champion at splash wars" Piper challenged, Jason looking mildly concerned behind her. Annabeth started to back away as well. Just because him and Piper destroyed the New Rome community pool _one time_...

"Let's not start any wars of any kind" Hazel said, floating up in one of Leo and Calypso's Festus the Flying Dragon Pool Floaties ™ guaranteed to withstand fire, water, sharp objects, and monster attacks plus a built-in drink holder. Calypso floated beside her, sipping a bottle of water and giggling as Leo and a very large koi fish wrestled in the water nearby.

"Agreed, I'm done with wars for a while" Jason said, looking a little exhausted at the thought, "I'm busy enough negotiating merchandising contracts with every god and goddess imaginable".

"When has trouble ever left us alone?" Annabeth sighed, looking around like she expected a telkine to jump out of the water and scream "Die demigod scum!"

"The last year or so have been pretty quiet, at least on the Greek and Roman fronts" Percy tentatively mentioned, looking around for some wood to knock on (using Jason's head when he found none). "I'd like it if it stayed that way for a while".

"When do the Fates ever ask us what we'd like?" Hazel muttered, strangely dour for a moment. She brightened quickly though when Frank appeared in Koi fish form to seek shelter from Leo.

"Not fair! Using your girlfriend and my beautiful pool creation as a shelter from my clearly superior pool wrestling skills!" Leo puffed up his chest and tried to look intimidating. Percy snorted and had flashbacks to the time Leo had reappeared at the Argo with "Team Leo" written all over himself.

Koi Frank waved his flippers in a clearly derogatory manner at Leo, bubbling a few choice comments that had Percy grinning and high-fiving (or high-flippering) the Roman. Leo looked slightly put out, but cheered up quickly as Calypso chucked a bottle of Gatorade at him.

Their group collapsed into laughter, seeming in the moment college students like the rest. Then, a hippocampi nudged Percy's leg. He frowned. They weren't that far off the beach. The water was dangerously low here for a hippocampi.

" _Please, Lord"._ It said, nudging him once more.

Percy's heart sank. The beautiful creature wasn't there just to say hello. He detangled himself from Annabeth, ignoring her questioning gaze. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go see what's wrong. A sea creature has probably gotten itself caught in a net or something".

He moved quickly to deeper waters, anxious to get the hippocampus back into its comfort zone. The creature was grateful, seeming to breathe easier and lose some anxiety as they moved further away from the shore.

" _The current is strong today my Lord, and a mortal youngling is trapped. It cannot return to shore itself my Lord"._

Percy frowned, gesturing for the creature to lead the way. He hadn't noticed that the current was abnormally strong, but perhaps he was unconsciously making the water more inviting for his group. He could hear the waves battering rocks as he moved further into the ocean, following the distressed cries of sea life around him. Finally, they reached a cluster of jagged rocks, much further out than any mortal could have gone on purpose. A child, no older than two or three years old, sat on one of the rocks, crying desperately and clutching a unicorn pool floaty.

She screamed when Percy emerged from the ocean, clearly terrified. He turned to the sea life surrounding her. " _What happened?"_

" _The currents took her out, my Lord, but she found momentary shelter in the rocks. The fish report her mother cries on the shore for her, and recruits other mortals to search"._

Percy acknowledged them. This was good, he could bring the girl back to shore with minimal questions asked. Now he just needed her to let him help. Luckily, he'd attended Hazel's "Welcome to the Land of the Living, Now Watch Every Disney Movie Known to Man" party (hosted by an enthusiastic Leo and Piper).

"It's okay, no need to be scared" Percy started, pulling himself part way on the rocks. "My name's Percy, what's yours?"

The girl cried some more, but Percy could hear her say "Katie".

"Alright Katie, I'm going to take you back to your mom. Have you seen the Little Mermaid?"

Katie's eyes went wide, her thumb in her mouth and tears drying up as she nodded.

"Well, I'm like Ariel. I can live in the sea but I can also walk on land. I want to help you get back to land. Will you let me do that?" Percy hoped to the gods that his friends never found out he'd compared himself to Ariel. He'd never hear the end of it. Luckily, the girl believed his rather dubious story and held out her arms, never letting go of the slightly deflated unicorn. Percy gently tapped her forehead, allowing her to breath underwater with him. He then hitched a ride on the hippocampus most of the way back to the beach, enjoying the little girl's wide eyed grins. He didn't know if she was clear sighted or seeing a dolphin or something, but he was glad she was calmer now.

Percy swam the rest of the way, coming up about a half mile from his friends where the school of threadfin fish said the mother was. With the girl on his hip, he found her mom relatively easily. The poor woman was frantically asking college kids and tourists if they'd seen her girl. Some were looking up and down the beach, helping the mom start a search party.

"Excuse me?" Percy asked, startling the mom as he tapped her on the shoulder. "Is this your daughter?"

Percy was expecting relief, but the response he got was overwhelming. The mom kissed him on the cheek, then grabbed her daughter and alternated between kissing and yelling at her. Then, she insisted that she pay him back somehow.

"Really, ma'am, I don't want anything" he protested as the mother shushed Katie's attempts to tell her Percy was Ariel.

"No, no, I've got to give you something. I don't have anything on me, but I have some Cokes in the car?" she begged, her eyes so relieved and desperate that Percy found himself agreeing, helping to carry their beach bag up the hill to the parking lot. The mom set her girl down in the back of the car, reaching into the back seat to grab the cooler of sodas while Percy awkwardly entertained her daughter.

He suddenly heard a thump near the side of the car. Percy poked his head around, and to his dismay found the mom passed out like she decided to take a nice nap on the gravel. To his horror, when he turned back to grab Katie, she was asleep as well, curled up with her thumb in her mouth in the back of the SUV. Percy drew Riptide, certain something was amiss. It was two in the afternoon for Hera's sake, and mortals didn't just pass out on the gravel for no reason.

"There's no need for that, young hero".

Percy whipped toward the voice, almost decapitating a woman standing behind him. She was as tall as Percy, with tanned skin and golden curly hair. Though she was dressed in a sundress and floppy hat, Percy knew she wasn't mortal. When she took off her sunglasses, her eyes glowed golden, power radiating from her thin form.

"Who are you?" Percy asked warily, not putting away his sword. He had no idea who this woman was, but he didn't want anything to do with her. She was either a monster, in which case she'd try to eat him and he'd chop her head off. Or she was a goddess and wanted something from him. Given the eyes, Percy was guessing the latter.

"Oh please. You just rescued an innocent girl from the ocean's rage and asked for nothing in return. I'm not going to smite you". She walked to the edge of the SUV, shifting Katie to a more comfortable position and inviting Percy to sit next to her.

She sighed when Percy just shifted his sword's aim, "I guess I really can't blame you. You've had a rough life, Percy Jackson. That is why I've chosen you".

Heck no. Percy had had enough of being chosen for the gods' tasks. "No thanks".

"You haven't even heard my request." The woman raised one delicate eyebrow at Percy, "I was hoping you'd want to help, even went to the trouble of cashing in a favor to send the child out to sea, where I knew you'd find her".

"You _sent_ her out there! She could have died!" Percy drew closer to the goddess, pointing Riptide at her neck. "You could have just come to see me, you know, without endangering other lives!"

The woman crossed her arms, her utterly unrelenting eyes fixed on Percy, "The child would not have been harmed. You were there, and if you hadn't shown for some reason, I would have rescued her myself". The woman sighed, running a hand through her hair in a way that was utterly _human_.

"I couldn't just appear to you" She admitted, "Startling the seven heroes of the Argo wouldn't be wise, not when I was hoping to avoid attention. And I wasn't sure your friends would hear me out long enough to plead my case. I _need_ your help, Percy. If you help me, I promise the gods will never ask anything of you again".

Percy hesitated. That was tempting. To live his life not only without fear of monsters in New Rome, but without the threat of another Great Prophecy or godly favor. But something deep at his core told him that this deity couldn't promise him peace unless she was taking out the gods herself. No one told Zeus what to do.

"I'm sorry" Percy said, lowering his sword. "I can't help you. I don't want to be drawn back into quests again. And you can't enforce the promise of peace without taking drastic measures that I want no part of".

Percy half expected the woman to fight him, but instead she just sighed, "You can't walk away from this, Percy. We're going to have this conversation one way or another." She stood, stretching like a cat. She seemed to grow taller, towering over Percy with cold, glittering eyes. "That's the funny thing about fate. It's cunning. It can bring you beautiful moments, like you and your friends on the beach, and it can bring you moments like this". The woman handed Percy a brightly colored iPhone, "See, your friends have faced giants and titans, but they're about to go up against the one thing they can't handle. _You_ ".

Percy looked down at the screen warily . He started sweating, panic rising in his chest. Percy looked back at the goddess, eyes filled with righteous rage. The woman didn't look scared at his gaze, if anything she looked pleased.

"What do you want from me?"

His voice was foreign even to himself, the peace and tranquility of the day burned off in a moment. He sounded like the raging Pacific, battering the shore unforgivingly. The goddess was still unfazed, just ruffling his hair and taking back the phone.

"I'll be in touch. Make sure you answer when I call. Oh and Percy, not a word of this to anyone. If you try to reach out to your family, if you tell _anyone_ , even that smart girlfriend of yours, I'll know". In a blinding flash of golden light, she was gone.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Percy arrived back on the beach with a bag of sodas in hand. His friends crowded around him, each grabbing a drink and relaxing on the shore. Percy regaled them with the story of the little girl stuck in the rocks, forcing himself to compartmentalize, to bring his goofy, fun-loving self back to the surface and act like his world hadn't just ended.

The sun set over the Malibu coast as the group packed up and headed back to the house. The woman stood on the cliff, watching the children trudge away from the ocean, laughing and joking in blissful naiveté. They had no idea what was headed their way. A red dawn was coming for them all.

She had her pawn. Now it was time to wage her war.


	2. II: Annabeth

Camp Half-Blood was exactly how she remembered it, even after nearly a year away. The sun was shining, strawberries were growing like crazy, and campers were trying to decapitate each other.

Piper and Jason walked ahead of her, teasing Leo as he gestured around excitedly. Hazel and Calypso chatted quietly behind Annabeth while the daughter of Athena walked in silence with Frank and Percy.

Even though she loved New Rome, there was nowhere like _home_.

Home was the sound of clashing swords, lava popping on the climbing wall nearby and the smell of barbeque in the air. The neat, orderly cabins were just as she'd left them, though now a hill stood nearby littered with various shrines to gods and goddesses who didn't have children in the camp. Jason had been busy, and when he was busy Annabeth was busy. She was the lead Olympian architect after all, and Jason's constituents would have nothing less than Olympus's best.

The only difference was the people. Most of the demigods Annabeth had grown up with were either chancing life in the mortal world or, well, occupying the Underworld. A few familiar faces were still around camp, the most notable being the heads of the Apollo and Hades cabins. Grover came to Camp as much as possible, as Juniper was still living near Zeus's Fist. Similarly, General Tyson of the Cyclops army spent more time at Camp now than he did underwater, blushing furiously as he spent time with Ella and helped Leo on various projects. Ananbeth secretly thought Leo was thrilled to have a friend who couldn't be burned by his wayward experiments.

The hills were bright green and red as the Demeter cabin carefully cultivated the forest and strawberry fields. The sun beat down on them furiously as they crossed the border and walked past the Big House. She waved to Chiron, who was sitting on the porch calmly playing pinochle with Mr. D, who didn't look particularly happy.

Annabeth walked along, just enjoying the familiar sights and smells when she was almost tackled to the ground by a blur of hooves and fur. She laughed, hugging Grover back enthusiastically as Percy attempted to breathe through a classic Tyson hug beside her. "Hey Grover! How's it going?"

"Baah!" Grover exclaimed, nearly jumping out of his hooves, "It's a mess, but it's a great mess!"

Annabeth wasn't quite sure what that meant, but congratulated him on his work nonetheless and made him promise to catch her up later. Juniper appeared out of the forest behind them, blushing furiously because Juniper was...

"Pregnant!" Piper squealed, rushing to great Juniper. Percy slapped Grover on the back as the satyr blushed even more than Juniper. Then Tyson determined that was the appropriate response to the good news and slapped Grover on the back, smacking him to the ground face-first.

"Oops!" Tyson covered his mouth with his hands, then rushed to help an annoyed Grover off the ground.

"Yeah, Mellie has been a huge help, sending me pregnancy scrolls and though it's a little different for different types of nymphs it's still very helpful advice..." Juniper reassured Piper, who continued to pepper her with questions.

Annabeth sat back a bit and watched nearly all her friends hug and smile and even dance a little (Leo's dance moves hadn't improved at all). Percy did the same beside her, reaching out to pull her into a side hug that Annabeth didn't hesitate to lean into. He'd been a bit distant lately, but that could be because there were six other people demanding their attention. It was hard to really tell if something was bothering him unless they were in an isolated setting. He had an annoying habit of putting on a happy face for his friends no matter what he was feeling. Annabeth resolved to pull him aside later that evening and just double check. Because he was staring at their group of friends with a loving look in his eyes that was just barely overshadowed with what looked like...regret?

"Come on, come on! I promised you all a tour of the best machine shop ever to exist on this Earth!" Leo gloated, vibrating slightly in anticipation. Calypso rolled her eyes, but she still took his hand and looked rather proud.

"How's it look?" Jason asked, finding his way to Annabeth and Percy as Leo hurried them along. "It's a bit different than when you came last, but the campers did a good job executing your vision".

Annabeth stared up at the shrines in the distance. She was sure that she could find some sort of improvement to be made; it was her nature as a child of Athena. However, with the later afternoon sun glittering off the marble and the smell of camp in the air, she could do nothing else but smile.

"It's perfect".

* * *

The campfire was higher than usual tonight. The whole camp had turned out for the summer welcome campfire cookout and singalong. Annabeth even saw a grumpy Nico hiding near the back as Will sang loudly in his ear.

"Hey Rach" Percy called, taking a break from poorly belting out 'I Am My Own Great-Great-Great-Great Grandpa'. "How's Columbia?"

Rachel sat down next to Annabeth in a huff wearing her usual paint-splattered jeans and a tank top cut from a worn t-shirt proclaiming _Earth First!_. Her frizzy red hair was precariously pulled into a ponytail with a bandana to keep it all away from her face.

"Great! I haven't had many courses in environmental studies yet but I took a course on American art history and it blew my mind!" She irritatedly blew on a stray piece of hair threatening to fall in her eyes and crossed her arms. "But I haven't heard a bit of news from you guys since Christmas! Catch me up!"

Percy stuck his tongue out at her as Annabeth fought laughter. "Well, if you'd come to Berkely like you were originally planning on, you would know more, wouldn't you?"

"I couldn't exactly leave Camp without an Oracle" Rachel retorted, "And you can't argue with that, so spit it out!"

Annabeth opened her mouth to stop the banter when Rachel suddenly grimaced, hand flying to her forehead.

"Rachel?" she asked cautiously. "What's wrong?"

Percy knelt down next to Rachel and looked her directly in the eyes. "What do you need to say?"

The Oracle of Delphi's eyes glowed green. In a voice much louder and deeper than her own, Rachel uttered a prophecy:

_Heroes of legend together once more_

_Trapped on the edge of another great war_

_Lost is the heroes only hope_

_Hanging above by thinnest rope_

_Justice wakes from gilded cage_

_Tempered by the ocean's rage_

_Betrayal ends in war's demise_

_Triune safely holds the skies_

_The Seven set out, six face the throne_

_One hero departs this world alone._

Percy paled, hand finding Annabeth's as Rachel crumpled to the ground. The group of once cheerful campers now resembled mourners at a funeral. Jason was shaking his head furiously in denial while Piper stared straight ahead into the flames. Hazel had buried her face in Frank's neck, who wrapped his arms around her protectively. Leo rubbed his fingers together, sparks flying, while Calypso aggressively fidgeted with bits of machinery, as if she could build a device that would make this whole nightmare go away.

Annabeth sat in shock. But she wasn't scared or annoyed. She was _angry_.

" _Another one?_ " She nearly shouted, rising to her feet and beginning to pace back and forth. Percy rearranged Rachel's limbs in a more comfortable manner before standing up, hovering near Annabeth but knowing that she needed space. She loved him so much, which was why...

"Haven't we been through enough already?" Annabeth ground out, staring at Chiron as if he was to blame, "We've been to the Underworld and back, voyaged through the Sea of Monsters, held the sky up in our bare hands, braved the Labyrinth, and _all of us_ fought Kronos's forces in Manhattan. And that was just the _first_ so-called _Great_ Prophecy. And then we couldn't even get a year-long break to be happy, to be normal. _No_ , Percy got taken away and thrown on a quest to Alaska while I dealt with my crazy mother and medling Hera and then we fought our way to the ancient lands and I crawled and scratched my way through the underbelly of Rome and faced my fears to find my mother's _stupid_ statue. I've been through Tartarus and back, fought the Earth and the Giants. How many quests have we all been that risked our lives to get one of the gods stupid relics back, to appease an enemy of the gods, to defend the gods from nature itself while they were _sleeping_ or _hiding_?"

Annabeth could feel Percy's hand on her shoulder, could see the anger and fear in the other camper's eyes. But she wasn't through. She had to get it all out. "I've crawled through the depths of the earth, through the Underworld, through Tartarus. I've climbed to the summits of mountains, crossed the seas, fought monsters day after day, lost _good friends_ in defense of the gods. This is the third Great Prophecy in my time at Camp Half-Blood. The gods need us again?" Annabeth pointed her chin in the air, staring Chiron straight in the eyes, and mustered all her pent-up anger and hatred and frustration. "Well, I say _screw them_. Let them solve their own issues for once".

The sky roared with thunder and lightning. They were listening? Good. Annabeth was through with their games. "You hear that, I'm _done!_ "

"Annabeth!" Percy was shouting now to be heard over the sounds of Zeus's displeasure and the murmurs of the campers. "Annabeth, stop. Please. What's done is done".

_What's done is done?_ Annabeth jabbed her finger toward her idiotic, self-sacrificing boyfriend, "No. Nothing has been done yet. We don't have to go".

"Yes, we do. You know we do". Percy gently placed his hands over her arms, forcing her to stop pacing for a few moments. "Stop this, please. Zeus will strike you down, you know he will. _Please._ "

Annabeth stood still, nearly panting. Percy took advantage of her momentary silence.

"It's a prophecy, Annabeth. We never know what it means until it happens. We can do it again, Wise Girl, even though we don't want to, even though too much has already been asked of us, as long as you're _with me_ ". His eyes bored holes into hers, desperation mixed with anger and something more. "Whatever happens, everything will be okay as long as we _trust each other_ ".

Percy, her Seaweed Brain, turned to the rest of the Seven now, "We're not just friends. We're family. We've got this". He exuded confidence, calming everyone around the campfire. He even seemed to calm the skies to mere grumbles.

"Yeah, can't be much worse than Old Dirtface, right?" Leo chuckled nervously. "Plus, we can't let that rousing speech go to waste".

Percy simultaneously blushed and rolled his eyes, sending a mock glare at Leo. But Leo's affirmation was enough. Hazel and Frank nodded slowly from their log, while Jason and Piper looked like they were ready to draw their weapons and charge right there.

Chiron took the opportunity to regain control. "As the gods and the Fates decree, we will follow. The Oracle has spoken. A quest has been issued. The Seven of Prophecy, will you answer the call?"

Percy lifted his head, eyes fierce with a fire that Annabeth was unused to seeing on his face, "I accept".

The sky rumbled once more, then ceased its noise. Good. Zeus stopped complaining. Gods, Annabeth could just about punch the Olympians in the face right now. Chrion looked at her with disapproval, as if he could sense her treasonous thoughts. She met his gaze without flinching.

"Annabeth, are you with me?" Percy asked, a bit of hesitation in his eyes, "Because you're right, I can't ask you to do this after you've been through so much..."

Annabeth shut him up with a kiss. Gods, he was so dense sometimes. "If you're going, I'm going." It sounded so final to her, like an unbreakable promise. She meant it though.

Percy grinned like the dork he was and turned to the rest of the seven. Before he could get a word out, Jason held up his hand, "Dude, we're all in". They were met by enthusiastic nods from the Argo crew.

"I want in," Calypso said, arms crossed as if daring someone to contradict her.

Chiron shook his head, "No my dear, I'm afraid not. The prophecy clearly states that seven shall go".

Calypso stepped forward with fire in her eyes, "I'd like to see you stop me from going, _cousin_ ".

"Woah, woah, everyone cool it" Leo stepped in front of his girlfriend, holding up his hands for peace. "Calypso, it's okay. I'll keep you on emergency speed-dial. If we run into trouble we can't handle, you're our first call. You can bring the calvary and rescue my gorgeous behind".

Calypso considered for a moment, then stepped up so she looked him straight in the eyes. "Fine," she ground out, looking like every word hurt her to her core, "But you'd better call if there's too much trouble. If you get killed again, I'm going to fight my way into the Underworld and drag your _scrawny_ behind back up to the land of the living".

Leo grinned, "I love you too".

The whole camp seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and one by one the campers went back to their cabins. Annabeth grabbed Percy's hand, calling to the whole group to meet them in Cabin Three (because Cabin One was pushing it on a good day, and Annabeth was pretty sure she'd be electrocuted instantly if she attempted to enter right now).

Chiron put a hand on her shoulder as she pushed her way through the crowds, stopping her momentarily. She looked up, partially defiant and partially ashamed. She'd lost her temper and reason. She was smarter than that. But she didn't regret any of it.

"Make a sacrifice to Zeus," Chiron warned, "Make a large one to him and another to the rest of the Olympians. You can't go into a quest with them united against you".

"They need us" Annabeth grumbled.

"Yes, they do. But they are also prideful and might be willing to risk much to satisfy their anger". Chiron's voice dropped so low that Annabeth could barely make out his next words, "Think of the prophecy, Annabeth. Tempered has dual meanings: to cool or to strengthen. The ocean's rage, which we could assume is Percy, is a turning point in this prophecy. The Olympians need him, Annabeth, and he needs you. What do you think he will do if an angry god decides that you need to be made an example of?"

Ananbeth's heart dropped, "He'd burn them to the ground".

Chiron nodded slowly, ignoring Percy's questioning looks from further down the path. "No one can afford that. Something is brewing, Annabeth. Something is different this time. I need you there, to figure it out and make sure that at the end of it, both camps are safe".

* * *

Cabin Three was unusually crowded, all seven of them plus Calypso sitting cross legged on the floor. Tyson had left moments before, still sniffling that they had to leave on what seemed to be a dangerous quest so soon. The big guy headed towards the forges, seemingly determined to make them all something indestructible before they left in the morning.

He wasn't the only one who was unnerved. Grover had caught Annabeth right before she entered the cabin, nervously chewing his bottom lip.

"What, Grover?" Annabeth had snapped, still enraged. Grover flinched a bit and Annabeth had softened, apologizing to her old friend. "What's up?"

"Something's wrong," Grover started, shifting nervously, "And not just the fact there is potentially another Great Prophecy. Nature has been weird since Gaia, and that could be what I'm feeling. But recently, everyone's been going to ground. Nature spirits are refusing to speak with the outside world, retreating inside themselves".

Annabeth had frowned, "Have you seen this before?"

Grover shook his head, "Other than when Gaia woke? No, I haven't. But something inside me, maybe from Pan's blessing, says to run and hide. Find someplace to weather the storm".

"The storm?"

Grover had nodded, waving at Jason on the cabin porch as they started towards the door, "A storm is coming, Annabeth. And whatever it is, I think Percy knows something. Our empathy link has been muted ever since Percy disappeared. It was mostly dissolved by the Little Tiber and Alaska I think. But I can still get... _impressions_. Like, the shadow of whatever he's feeling. He wasn't surprised by the prophecy".

Ananbeth glanced at Percy out of the corner of her eye, evaluating. After Grover had left them to their planning, she'd reviewed Percy's behavior over the last few days. She couldn't put her finger on anything, but that didn't mean nothing was there.

"Annabeth?"

A voice drew her out of her internal musings and back to the giant sticky note Piper had written the prophecy on. The rest of the group was looking at her expectantly. She shook her head, forcing herself to focus on the task at hand. Plan now, figure out Percy later. "Sorry, lost in thought. What did you say?"

Frank smiled warmly at her, "I was wondering if a triune meant anything to you".

Annabeth twirled her computer stylus in between her fingers, mind racing through the myths she was familiar with. She typed a few searches into her laptop (with Leo certified monster shielding and New Rome college curriculum approved), but nothing matched. She focused back on the paper, where Leo was drawing a frowny face next to the line about war. "I can't think of anything. I thought maybe it was something that holds Ouranos, which wouldn't be that much of a stretch after Gaia rose, but he's not held by a triune of any sort, he's just scattered".

"What's this about a trimund? Is it similar to a trident?" Percy asked, cutting the tension with his patented Seaweed Brain-ness. Which wasn't actually a word, but Annabeth thought it should be. She just rolled her eyes, "Triune, Percy. A group of three, or more literally, "three in one". It's often used to refer to the Christian Trinity".

"Woah, hold on a second" Percy held his hands out in a t shape, looking nervous, "Are we about to deal with big-G God? Because I don't like our odds against that".

"No, Percy, I'm not suggesting that the Christian God is part of this prophecy" Annabeth reassured him before continuing, "It's just a word. But the use of that specific word instead of another comparable term might indicate something". She thought about it for a moment, then dismissed it. "But I don't think we'll know that until later. Let's start at the beginning. We've gathered together for the first time since Leo returned, so like a bit over a year? So together once more. Apparently another "great war" is here".

"Yay" Hazel said deadpan, nervously wringing her hands while Piper braided her hair.

"Chiron seems convinced that this is a quest being issued right now and from what I've seen of prophecies I'm inclined to agree, so we'll leave in the morning if we can. Leo, what's our transportation look like?"

Leo pushed his hair away from his forehead, "Well, assuming we have a destination, the Argo II has been rebuilt for a few months now. I'll need to stock the ship...the plates from camp can provide our food and there's more than enough scrap metal and tools, but I'll need to stock the med bay".

Jason nodded, "Talk to Will, I'm sure he'll be happy to help".

"Great, Calypso and Tyson can help me double check everything. If we work tonight, we can be ready to go after breakfast tomorrow".

Annabeth nodded, "Good. So let's break this down. These things aren't always in order, but I think the first line might be the most promising".

"Of course our greatest hope is lost. Super helpful" Piper grumbled.

Percy shrugged, "Eh, I'm kinda used to it by now. So whatever this is, it's lost, and apparently precariously hanging from a thin rope".

Something niggled at the back of Annabeth's brain. Hanging from a thin rope...

"Do we have any ideas? Where do we even start looking for something that is lost?" Jason took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Maybe Aeolus? I know he tried to kill us last time, but the winds had gathered a lot of lost things there" Piper mused, "Though who knows if this thing is something that can be carried away".

"What about relics that have been lost by the camps? I can't think of anything from Camp Half Blood off the top of my head, but Camp Jupiter had a lot of lost things over the decades. Is there anything similar?" Percy asked, looking at Frank and Hazel.

Hazel shook her head, "Nothing that I can think of that would fit. Jason, you were there the longest. Can you think of anything?"

Jason frowned, "A few, but I'm not sure anything we'd be looking for. There was some sort of special sickle, though I don't think that'd help us much. A necklace rumored to belong to Venus, a spear of Belona, though I'm not sure that was ever at Camp Jupiter. A sword that the twelfth legion took from Greece during one of their campaigns, a pithos said to hold the wine-blood of Baccus..."

Jason continued, but Annabeth's mind began putting two and two together. Could that be it? It was the only thing she could think of that fit. "Stop. I think that's it!"

Jason looked confused, "The lost maracas of Mercury?"

"What? No, the thing you said before. The sword. Do you know where in Greece it was taken from?"

"No, but it's been part of the twelfth legion since Vitellius was alive. He always said it was blessed by Bacchus himself. But Vitellius says a lot of things, some true some not. Umm, it was in the camp until the 1980s, when it dropped out of the stories".

Percy looked intrigued, "The 80's? Think its disappearance has anything to do with Varus?"

"Who?" Annabeth had heard the name, but she couldn't quite place it.

"Michael Varus was a praetor at Camp Jupiter back in the 1980s. He tried to interpret the Prophecy of Seven, and lead the 5th cohort on a mission to Alaska that spectacularly failed, losing the legion's standard and nearly all their imperial gold weapons". Percy frowned, "But we returned all the imperial gold weapons to Camp Jupiter during the battle of New Rome".

"Right, and we met Michael with the suitors," Piper mentioned. "So this "only hope" might be at Camp Jupiter?"

"I don't think it's that easy" Annabeth said slowly, putting the pieces together in her head, "I think this might be the Sword of Damocles".

"The sword of who now?" Leo asked, leaning forward with interest.

"There is a myth about a tyrant king, Dionysius of Syracuse" Annabeth began, falling into the familiar lull of story-telling, "Not our Mr. D., but a man named after him. A nobleman in his court, Damocles, pandered and flattered the king, admiring his power and might. Dionysius offered to change places with him, to let Damocles sit upon his throne and rule Syracuse for a day. Damocles, who was power-hungry and greedy, eagerly accepted. Dionysius was true to his word and Damocles sat upon the throne the next morning, enjoying the splendor and power of the role. However, hanging above him was a huge sword, hung by a single horsehair to represent the fear and anxiety that came with the position. The fear of the sword was too much for Damocles, and before the afternoon was up, he begged the king to depart."

"Hanging above by the thinnest rope" Hazel recited, nodding. "And it's been lost since Varus's expedition. But I brought all the Imperial Gold out of the sound. Why don't you think it was at Camp Jupiter?"

"It's Greek" Percy said suddenly, eyes locking on Annabeth's, "It wouldn't have been Imperial Gold. It might have been Celestial Bronze, or even iron".

"Exactly. It's probably a xiphos, a leaf shaped blade similar to Percy's. The pommels used to be inlaid with diamond or another jewel and the sword itself made of bronze or iron".

"So it could still be in Alaska" Frank stated, looking back and forth between them, "Great, but we collapsed the whole camp under a glacier. How are we ever going to find it?"

Percy and Hazel glanced at each other, "I think between Hazel and I, we can fish it out".

"Great." Annabeth said, looking thoughtfully at the scrawled prophecy, "I guess we're going to Alaska".

* * *

"Is anyone else concerned that we're in a place called the "land beyond the gods"?" Leo asked, lighting his hands on fire for the fifth time in the last minute.

"Nah" Percy said, throwing a grin at Leo, "We've been here before and it wasn't too bad. I actually kinda like Alaska".

"You're crazy" Piper muttered, pulling Leo closer to her and Jason. "Come on, fire boy. Share the heat".

"So that's why I'm here. I'm the space heater" Leo grumbled, "Are you sure there's nothing I can do to help?"

Hazel turned over her shoulder and grinned at him. Annabeth was surprised with how comfortable she was in the cold weather. Sure, she'd lived here before, but it was a terrible time of her life. And from what she'd heard, their quest here wasn't a walk in the park either. "No, sorry Leo. This is more my wheelhouse". She turned to Percy, "Alright, there's nothing in this section. Let's move on to the next".

Annabeth had divided the area around the Hubbard Glacier into quadrants. In each one, Hazel would search the water for any sort of metal or precious stone while Percy talked to the wildlife. If there were no leads, they marked it off and moved the ship to the next quadrant. They'd been to nine already. Only six more to go.

Festus groaned at the helm, displeased by the cold weather. Leo rushed over, ignoring Piper's disgruntled muttering and warmed the dragon up. With Leo's latest upgrades, Festus could technically detach from the ship, but he was much more helpful to them in this form for now.

Frank landed, changing from an eagle to human form in an instant. "There's a flock of gryphons, but they're a ways out. If they get any closer, I'm going to turn into a dragon and give them a scare".

Percy gave him a thumbs up from the helm where he was maneuvering their ship through the water to the next section. They'd discovered that the Argo didn't particularly enjoy the cold Alaskan waters, and Percy could sense how fast the ship could go and where the next problem was going to occur. Speaking of, "Hey Leo, something feels funny on the rudder. I think it might be iced up again".

Leo grumbled some words that would make a nun faint as he picked up his toolbox and stomped down the stairs.

"Stop!" Hazel yelled suddenly, right when they were about to cross into the next section. "There's something here. It's faint, but..."

"Tell me where" Percy demanded, already at the side of the ship. He'd ditched his sweatpants and parka by the consol and his wetsuit was very...distracting. Annabeth shook her head, forcing herself to focus on the mission and not her boyfriend.

"Right about..." Hazel closed her eyes, then pointed to a spot about 100 meters off the ship's bow, "There. On the ocean floor I think".

Percy didn't hesitate, throwing himself off the side and diving into the frigid ocean. Even though he wasn't affected by the temperature, Annabeth nervously waited. This had been too easy so far. No monsters other than what counted as wildlife in Alaska, no gods or goddesses making an appearance. This was the land beyond the gods though, so Annabeth hoped they could get the sword and have time to figure out what their next move was. Though she wasn't sure what to do after this. They didn't even know who they were up against in this so-called "great war".

It took far too long, but finally Percy resurfaced with a whistle and a gasp. He ignored the ladder, forcing the water into a miniature cyclone and propelling himself onto the deck. "Get the ship into the air!"

Hazel ran below deck, hollering for Leo while Piper took the controls. They'd been through enough together that they knew to act first and ask questions later. Frank landed on deck, shifting into human form as Percy spit seawater and gestured to the son of Mars. "Frank, you're with me. I'll draw their attention. Jason, Annabeth, get the ship moving and prepare to defend".

"From what?" Annabeth didn't like going into a battle unprepared. Percy just shrugged, "Sea serpent things? Seven feet long and some nasty teeth. They had incorporated the sword into their nest, and they're not very happy about me borrowing it".

"I would think not" Jason muttered as the first creature in question launched itself from the water, jumping an impossible distance and snapping at the ship's railing. "Annabeth, suggestions?"

Annabeth paused, trying to remember anything that would be helpful. Nothing came to mind, "I think they're Tizheruk. They're fast and have sharp teeth? I guess just stab them and see what happens".

The son of Jupiter nodded solemnly, then winked at her as he used the winds to lift himself above the ship and swing at one of the Tizheruks. Annabeth followed suit, running lightly across the railing until one of the monsters cleared the deck, then decapitated it. A nastly, acidic substance squirted out, but the creature appeared to die.

Vaguely, she could see Frank perched at the top of the mast, covering Percy as he pushed the ocean water away from the ship, creating a current that took most of the snakes with it. Leo burst out of the hold, Hazel on his heels. He immediately took the controls from Piper and the ship began to rise faster, water pouring off the sides. Piper joined Hazel, slashing at any snakes that got close. Hazel closed her eyes in concentration, "I'm making the ship look like it's rising faster" she called, "but it won't fool them for long".

"No need" Leo was frantically whirling a wii remote while pushing a foot pedal. "We're moving now".

Annabeth looked up and caught Frank's attention, "Get Percy! We're getting out of here".

Frank nodded, then pointed to a point on the land a few miles away. They'd meet up there. Annabeth nodded her understanding and Frank transformed into a dragon, firing on the group of Tizheruks trying to get close to Percy. The son of Posideon was a sight to behold, floating in the air on his own water cyclone, snakes jumping around him only to be pushed back by a wall of water or a stroke from a silvery xiphos that Annabeth assumed was the sword of Damocles. He got smaller until he dropped out of sight as Leo and Festus brought the ship higher and higher.

The wind whipped her hair around her, but Annabeth paid it no mind as she worked her way across the deck to Leo. "Fly to that point that juts out into the ocean" she yelled, helping him adjust the coordinates.

"Why?"

Annabeth looked back toward the place she'd last seen Percy and Frank. "That's our rendezvous point. We'd better get there and clear the area of monsters before the boys run into trouble".

Leo snorted next to her. Annabeth elbowed him, concealing a smile, "Yeah I know how unlikely that is. But we can at least be ready to cover their escape when they arrive".

* * *

It had been two hours. Far too long, even if Frank hadn't been able to fly for some reason. Annabeth paced the deck of the ship while Hazel nervously rubbed her arms. A thousand things could have happened by now, especially in the land beyond the gods. The gryphons could have gotten them, they could have been crushed by a Hyperborean Giant...

Annabeth's cell phone rang, breaking the silence. She scrambled for it, almost dropping it to the deck. "Hello?"

"Annabeth?" Frank's voice rang out from the speaker. "Annabeth, we had to take a truck and were almost here, but..." his voice cut out as Annabeth frantically ran around, snapping her fingers at Jason and trying to find better reception. "...crashed, right near the point, I can see you I think but I can't get up..."

"Hold on Frank" she interrupted him, "We're coming down for you guys".

She snapped the phone shut and gestured at Jason. "Fly me down".

Hazel moved to protest, but Annabeth's expression stopped her before she said a word. The job needed to be done, and Jason could only carry one person. The son of Jupiter didn't protest either, wrapping one arm around Annabeth's waist and gently guiding their descent through the thick clouds. Once they were near the ground, Annabeth could see a plume of dark grey smoke in the distance. Jason nodded before she even said a word and directed them toward the smoke.

Annabeth's heart nearly stopped as she came across the wreckage of the beat up pickup truck the boys must have been riding in. As soon as they landed on the road, she ran ahead of Jason, eyes searching for a tuft of black hair among the twisted steel and flames. Jason peeled off to the left, where she saw Frank lying on the ground, rubbing his head and looking around in dismay.

She searched frantically through the wreckage as well as she could with the flames, cursing herself for not bringing Leo somehow. When her search yielded no results, she raced forward to where Frank was gesturing wildly to Jason. The son of Mars had a nasty burn from one of the Tizheruks on his arm and blood dripped into his eyes. Annabeth dropped down next to him, "Where's Percy?"

"I don't know!" Frank said miserably, "But Annabeth, it was weird. It doesn't make any sense. I don't understand..."

"Why?" Annabeth insisted, heart dropping in her chest. Why wouldn't Percy have stayed with Frank? Or gone ahead for help? "Where is he, Frank?"

The boy looked her straight in the eyes, "Annabeth, he took the sword. Percy attacked me and ran away with the sword".


	3. III: Hazel

“What direction did he go?” Annabeth asked for the second time, pacing around the kitchen table in the Argo mess hall. 

“I told you” Frank responded wearily, “I don’t know. We were driving along, almost to the rendezvous point, when something started glowing in the road. Percy swerved to miss it and ran into the tree. He pulled me out, ran toward the thing in the road. But when he came back, he said it was just a gryphon, told me to go look in the wreckage for the sword. When I turned to go, he clobbered me on the back of the head! I woke up and you and Jason were there. I swear Annabeth, I don’t know anything else!” 

“Clearly whatever was in the road made him do it. Maybe it was an eidolon?” Piper asked, handing Frank a small measuring cup of nectar. 

Hazel watched Frank carefully, ensuring that he drank the whole cup before gently inspecting his head. It was a clean hit, but there was still a massive lump. Hopefully the nectar would take care of any internal injuries and reduce the swelling. 

“I don’t think it was an eidolon,” Frank bit his lower lip, a clear indication that he was concentrating, “I can’t be sure, but I think it might have been a god or goddess”. 

Hazel frowned. Sure, Percy had convinced them to come on this quest instead of telling the gods to get lost (which was the best, really, if they wanted to continue to live), but he would never betray one of his friends for the Olympians. They may not see each other all that much, between Hazel’s praetor duties and Percy’s study schedule (rigorously created and maintained by Annabeth of course), but they managed to meet up enough. Hazel knew he was, at heart, the same guy who quested to the ancient lands with them. 

“That doesn’t explain why he would knock you out and take the sword” Annabeth’s pacing was a bit dizzying at this point. Before Hazel could say anything, Piper intervened, forcing the daughter of Athena into a chair. The blonde looked positively murderous for a second, but slumped into the chair and put her head in her hands. 

“Maybe they threatened us? He gives them the sword in return for them not blasting us all to bits”. Leo was uncharacteristically quiet and still. It made Hazel nervous. 

“Gods and goddesses don’t have power in Alaska, remember?” Jason said, his voice cutting through their chatter like a knife. “I don’t know why this happened, but there are two options. One: someone or something with enough power to appear in Alaska threatened Percy and is holding him hostage along with the sword. Or two....” Jason trailed off. Hazel waited patiently, until the son of Jupiter hurriedly spit out, “He betrayed us”. 

Hazel was stunned. The thought honestly hadn’t even occurred to her. It wasn’t possible. She didn’t know how Jason could even think that. Surprisingly, it was Leo who reacted first. 

“Betrayal? After everything we’ve been through, that’s your first thought?” 

Leo ignored Jason’s offended remark that it was his second thought and continued, “Look, I’ll be the first to admit that we got off to a rough start. And sure Percy is sometimes a bit reckless and emotional but so are we all! And the guy’s fatal flaw is  _ loyalty _ . Literally, his great and terrible flaw is that he’s too loyal. Which is so annoying by the way. It's like when people put ‘perfectionism’ as their greatest weakness on their resume but in this case it’s actually  _ true _ !” 

He paused for breath, surveying the rest of the group, then suddenly sat down hard in his seat. “Look, it’s just not possible. Not after everything we’ve been through. Not now”. 

Jason took a deep breath, “You’re right, Leo. I’m not saying that Percy all of a sudden turned into Lord Voldemort or anything. But his fatal flaw is that he’ll do anything to save a friend. Anything, Leo. And he’s pissed at the Olympians. I know, he stood up for them at the campfire but let’s be honest, no matter how many times we save them they’re just going to keep coming back for more. Maybe he decided he’d had enough. Maybe he’s decided that the only way to prevent us from eventually dying on a quest is to take down Olympus himself. Or maybe someone threatened one of us. Or maybe he’s a hostage. I don’t know, I’m just saying we need to consider all options”. 

To Hazel’s surprise, Annabeth lifted her head from her hands, “He’s right”. 

“Annabeth!” Piper sounded scandalized. “This is Percy we’re talking about”. 

“I know”. She took a deep breath, “Look, I love him. He’s a great guy and an even greater friend. He’s funny and loyal and honest and a great warrior. But he’s the son of the sea. He’s powerful, scary powerful. We’ve all seen it”. She hesitated for a moment, then said, “He’s got a dark side. We’ve never gone into details about Tartarus. I’m still not going to, not here anyways. But I’ve seen it. When I’m threatened, when someone he loves is threatened, he’ll do anything”. 

The group sat in a stunned silence. Hazel frowned. Percy was like her older brother. She couldn’t imagine him as anything other than the goofy warrior she’d known from Camp Jupiter. But she recognized that Annabeth had known him longer and they had a deeper relationship. If Annabeth was acknowledging it as a possibility...

“He’s been acting a bit off. Nothing I can put my finger on. But off.” Annabeth stood up, fire in her eyes this time as she jabbed her finger at Jason, “I’m acknowledging the  _ possibility _ . For the sake of a thorough argument. Because I’m the daughter of the wisdom goddess and my mind won’t allow me  _ not _ to consider it. But nothing more. We will assume he is an unwilling participant or a hostage until we have clear, definitive proof otherwise. And you let me talk to him first, before  _ anyone _ does  _ anything _ . Innocent before proven guilty. Are we clear?” 

All Jason could do was nod and sound his agreement. Not only was Annabeth’s argument reasonable, it was charged with an air of murder. As long as Percy hadn’t turned to the dark side (a Star Wars reference, see Leo, she was getting with the times), Annabeth would choose Percy over Jason, no question. Everyone knew that. 

“Good. Let’s figure out where to look” Annabeth sat down, all business once again. “Hazel, can you track the sword?” 

“No” She didn’t even need to think about it, “I know how it feels now, but I need to know where to look. Get me on the ground within a 10 mile radius and I’ll find it. Other than that...” Hazel’s powers were useful but not that useful. 

“Do you know anywhere he’d run? A safe house or something?” Jason asked, looking at the map. 

“No”. Annabeth sounded frustrated, “We don’t have safe houses. Though god knows why not at this point. Either of the camps or Sally’s are options, but only if he’s moving of his own free will. Plus, he wouldn’t risk the camps if he’s on the run and he wouldn’t risk his family’s safety by going to them. Can we get any leads on who the person who appeared in the road might have been?” 

Frank grimaced, “We don’t have a lot to go on”. 

“They have to be powerful enough to at least appear in some form in Alaska” Piper noted. Hazel nodded. That narrowed the power scale down for sure. Unfortunately, probably to Titans, Primordials, or one particular giant. She mentioned it to the group. Jason nodded along, “Or a foreign deity maybe. Some minor gods or goddesses could maybe pull off a form of mind or body control, but it’d be hard to maintain on a son of Poseidon and certainly not in Alaska”. 

Annabeth pursed her lips, “What about Hecate?” 

They all thought about that for a moment. Jason slowly shook his head, “I don’t think so. It’s possible, her power set is a bit different, but she seems happy enough with a cabin in camp and her freedom. I don’t know what the motivation would be”. 

“Let’s go back to the prophecy” Piper suggested, looking back at the sticky note hanging on the wall (illustrated with Leo’s ‘helpful’ doodles). “The deity could be taking the sword back to Greece, to hang in the spot it once did. But I really don’t want to go on a wild goose chase across the Atlantic”. 

Annabeth nodded, “I agree, and there’s not a lot of motivation to return it unless there’s another prophecy somewhere. We should check with Ella. I think another line might be more promising. “Holds the skies”. Atlas still holds the sky on Mt. Tamalpais. If we’re thinking some sort of revenge mission or Titan involvement, that might be a good place to look”. 

Frank nodded, “Let’s Iris message Ella, but that sounds promising”. 

Leo pulled a drachma from his tool belt and made a few adjustments on the sink until they had a spray of water ready to use, “O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering. Show me Tyson at Camp Half Blood”. 

Everyone waited. The drachma fell to the floor with a resounding clang, and Tyson didn’t appear in the water. 

“Maybe Iris messages don’t work in Alaska?” Hazel asked. It was the land beyond the gods after all. 

Leo shook his head, “We crossed into Canadian airspace already”. They weren’t risking the ocean right now without their resident expert. 

They sat in silence considering. Then, Hazel remembered something from their first quest to Alaska. “Give me the drachma, Leo. Let me try something”. 

He shrugged and handed her the drachma. The coin was unfamiliar in her fingers, and she could see the doubt on the others' faces. Romans didn’t use Iris messages. But Frank looked encouragingly at her, so she took a breath, cast the coin, and said, “O Fleecy, do me a solid, show me Tyson at Camp Half Blood”. 

The coin disappeared and the frazzled face of Fleecy appeared in the mist. Leo, whose face was partially in the stream, yelped and fell off his chair. 

“Hazel, so good to see you! And Frank!” She waved at Frank, who waved sheepishly back. “Where’s Percy?” 

Hazel rubbed the back of her head, “That’s the problem, Fleecy. He’s missing again. We can’t find him. And we’re trying to Iris message camp to see if our friends have any ideas, but our Iris message didn’t work. Why is that?” 

Fleecy frowned, “Iris messaging is down. Has been for a few hours. I’m trying to track down the goddess to figure it out, but she was on Mount Olympus when it happened. My guess is that her family tried to give her some of that horrible roasted turkey leg again and she fainted. If she was unconscious...yes that could cause the outage”. 

The six of them didn’t look convinced, but Hazel had a thought, “You said you were trying to track her down. Could you track where Percy went for us?” 

Fleecy smiled sadly, “That’s not how it works, Hazel. But, I can try to connect you with someone. You dialed my direct line, so I’ve got a little bit of power. Let me see...” She paused ducking out of sight of the Iris message before popping back up again, “Okay, through a helpful water nymph I’ve learned that Grover is trying to Iris message you from Camp Half Blood. That should be enough that I can connect you. Please hold and have a groovy day!” 

Grover’s face appeared in the mist as a dozen R.O.F.L muffins spat out of the water into the Argo’s mess hall. Leo grabbed one, but Frank batted it away before he could take a bite and discover how truly horrific food could be. “Finally, Hazel! I’ve been trying to contact Annabeth”.

Hazel relinquished her seat to Annabeth as the blonde rushed over, “What’s wrong Grover?” 

“Annabeth! Thank the gods! I’ve been trying to Iris message you for hours!” The satyr looked more frazzled than usual. He bleated nervously, then wailed, “It’s gone!”

Annabeth stilled. Leo asked, “What’s gone?” 

“The empathy link! It’s just  _ gone _ !” 

Hazel was puzzled. She thought that the empathy link had been dissolved when Percy went missing a few years ago. But Annabeth paled even further, which meant she’d been aware of a continuing connection. “When, Grover? Exactly when?” 

Grover didn’t hesitate, “9:13 pm”. 

Hazel frowned. That if she was doing the time conversions right, that was right around the time that Frank and Percy’s truck crashed. 

“What does that mean?” Frank asked, clearly having done the math himself, “Does that mean he’s...”

“No. Not dead!” Grover said, “If he had died, I would be dead. That’s the way the empathy link works. Of course, it’s been significantly weakened after he crossed the Tiber and Tartarus, but I think I still would have felt it more...” Grover trailed off, like he was trying to to convince himself as well as them. 

“No” Annabeth said firmly, “I would know. We would all know. At the very least, there would be some tidal waves. Poseidon would not take the loss of his son well”. 

That was true, Hazel knew. Percy had an unusually close relationship with his father for a demigod. They weren’t buddies by any means, but he’d probably had more visits from his dad than anyone at camp had from their godly parents. 

“So, what do we do now?” Jason was the one to ask the question, an air of finality about him. Annabeth would be their leader now that Percy was gone, honestly, she probably was their leader anyways. But Jason seemed to recognize that she would need a strong second right now. 

Annabeth sighed, “I guess head to California”. She turned to Grover, “Update Chiron. Tell him about the empathy link and that we found the sword, but Percy left with it. We’re assuming he’s been coerced or captured. We’re headed to Mt. Tamalpais to look into the “holds the skies” line of the prophecy unless we get any additional information along the way. Send out the nature spirits if you can to search for him”. 

Grover nodded, “Calypso is going to want to meet you there”. 

Annabeth sighed, then nodded, “Let her. To Hades with the prophecy. I want all hands on deck. I’m not losing him again”. 

Grover smiled sadly, then cut the message. The air felt heavy and oppressive, like when a storm has been building up for days but hasn’t broken yet. Hazel fanned herself mindlessly, not even laughing when Leo dramatically spit out the R.O.F.L muffin he had snatched. 

“I’m going to check the knife,” Piper said, standing up suddenly and leaving the kitchen. Hazel thought that was a good idea. Maybe...

“I’m going to meditate” she said, startling the remaining demigods out of their thoughts, “Call on the Mist. Sometimes, it can show me the crossroads”. She’d had limited luck, but it was worth a go. 

Annabeth nodded absently. Frank squeezed her hand, “Be careful. If you’re not up in an hour, I’m pulling you out”. 

Hazel smiled at him reassuringly, then headed towards her bunk. The ship, which was so full of life and laughter a dozen hours ago, now felt like a crypt. She settled awkwardly on the floor of her cabin, pulling the blankets off the bed and wrapping them around her like a nest. She emptied her mind, trying not to think of her mother or Hecate or anything at all. 

Breathe in. 

  
Breathe out. 

Breathe in. 

“Percy” Hazel thought, thinking of him singing around the campfire, “Percy Jackson”. The smell of the Pacific Ocean, crashing off the shore of Alaska. War games with water cannon up the enemy’s nose, warm hugs that smelled vaguely of chocolate chip cookies, a little coffee shop in New Rome that served blue iced tea just for him. 

The Mist fought her at first, like it always did. It wasn’t malevolent, but it didn’t enjoy being constrained. Hazel pushed harder. She saw glimpses. An open field, a green compass, a pillar of stone surrounded by trees. The clouds billowed in her vision like the would at a crossroads, but instead all she saw was one scene. One moment that could end a dozen different ways and send fate careening down hundreds of different paths in turn. 

A man sat in the grass near the stone pillar, a pegasus grazing next to him. The vision froze, then recalibrated like an old television. She could see clearly now that the man was Percy, with Blackjack eating a dozen donuts next to him. Another woman walked up, not seeming to all others a mortal on vacation, but looking at the scene through the Mist, Hazel could easily tell she was a goddess. She had dark hair, curled on top of her head in practical but ornate plaits. She wore what looked to be a motorcycle jacket, gloves, and black jeans. 

“Nice day for a stroll, isn’t it?” Percy said casually, Blackjack snorting in the background, “A good place for a layover in my long flight”. 

The woman sniffed, “Please, I don’t believe your innocent act for one minute, Jackson. I’ve heard you’ve abandoned your quest”. 

Percy flinched minutely, but his face remained impassive, “That’s true, from a certain perspective”. 

The goddess cast her glance around the small clearing towards the stone pillar. “I don’t get many visitors these days. Certainly not demigods. This place was forgotten, a victory of the vanquished, lost to history. It’s obscure, unless you’ve made history your occupation. Which you certainly have not, Jackson”. 

The goddess glowed now, seeming to loom taller and taller, “You’ve been sent here then? By whom? Is it the power that grows on the horizon, that taints the air?” 

Percy looked panicked now, but to Hazel’s surprise, he shushed the goddess. “I wasn’t sent here! Pipe down with the smiting act! I’m just taking a layover on my long flight to stretch my legs and feed Blackjack. In a nice park, under the trees. How would I know it used to be a place of importance?” 

The goddess suddenly smiled with too many teeth, and shrunk down again. “Huh” she chuckled to herself, and gestured for them to sit on the grass. “We’ve underestimated you again, Jackson. You have my attention for the next two minutes. Tell me, little hero, why have you of all people sought me out?” 

Percy relaxed, hair tousled by the unseen wind, “I have been given a task of interest to you. I want to make a deal”. 

“And in exchange for my help?” The goddess asked, her curiosity evident. 

Percy just handed her a picture. The goddess’s jaw tightened, until Percy said, “An opportunity, my lady, for  _ true _ honor, justice, and in the end, peace”. 

The goddess smiled, fingernail tracing the picture Percy had laid in front of her. “Deal. Tell me about this all important task of yours”. 


End file.
